Itagaki returns with Devil's Third
E3 2010: THQ to publish first effort from Dead or Alive creator's Valhalla Game Studios; violent action title combines swordplay, gunplay.
Months after Tomonobu Itagaki first revealed the name of his new Valhalla Game Studios, the former Tecmo developer's first project with the outfit has been officially announced. THQ has released a teaser trailer (see below) for a new game called Devil's Third, with the clip bearing the Valhalla logo and proudly proclaiming the title to be Itagaki's.
Devil's Third is apparently a third-person shooter for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 featuring two characters: a women clad in snakeskin boots and jacket, and a man with an X-shaped scar on his face. While the woman in the clip carries a machine gun, she is only shown acrobatically eliminating uniformed adversaries with a sword. The man, on the other hand, is depicted dispatching foes not only with swords, but also with a shotgun, a bazooka, and even a Gatling gun.
While other high-profile developers like Bungie and Respawn Entertainment have made retaining ownership of the intellectual property a prerequisite to their publishing deals, THQ holds the trademark to Devil's Third.
Itagaki is best known as the creator of the Dead or Alive fighting franchise and the producer of the Ninja Gaiden games for the Xbox and Xbox 360. Itagaki parted ways with Tecmo in 2008, and spent much of the intervening time involved in legal action against his former employer. When he split from Tecmo, Itagaki claimed the publisher owed him about $1.4 million in unpaid bonuses for development of Dead or Alive 4 on the Xbox 360 and filed suit to get it. At the time, Tecmo said it would "let the court decide" on the bonuses. The two eventually settled out of court earlier this year.
Content you might like…
Users who looked at this article also looked at these content items.
Hot Stories
Newsmakers
-
Biden: No legal problem with taxing violent games
United States Vice President Joe Biden believes there is no legal restriction on ability to tax violent media. Full Story
- Posted May 13, 2013 12:50 pm PT
-
Just Cause dev promises 'holy f**king sh**' moments in future games
Avalanche Studios co-founder says developer's ambition is for action, not moments that make players cry; steampunk-style game on hold. Full Story
- Posted May 15, 2013 6:33 am PT
Featured Stories
-
Bungie shoots down Destiny for PS Vita rumor
Developer confirms image suggesting version of upcoming shared-world shooter in development for Sony's latest portable is a fake. Full Story
- Posted May 16, 2013 5:08 am PT
-
Ubisoft planning to release games more frequently
Assassin's Creed and Far Cry publisher says its network of 26 studios and over 7,000 developers will allow company to ship major franchises more regularly. Full Story
- Posted May 16, 2013 4:42 am PT
-
Metro: Last Light dev responds to workplace conditions claims
4A Games creative director Andrew Prokhorov thanks Jason Rubin for telling the studio's story, but says, "We deserve the ratings we get." Full Story
- Posted May 16, 2013 12:44 pm PT
-
EA opens DICE LA to make Star Wars games
DICE head would also like to poach top talent from rivals Infinity Ward and Treyarch. Full Story
- Posted May 15, 2013 3:28 am PT
-
EA dropping Online Passes - Report
Future EA games won't require Online Passes; the service is being scrapped after tepid player response. Full Story
- Posted May 15, 2013 8:28 pm PT







